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7 Dead in Church Van Crash Involving Two Semi-Trucks

At least seven people, including
five children, died when a church van became entangled in a collision involving
two semi-trucks on I-75 north of Gainesville, Florida, on Thursday, January 3,
2019. The church vehicle was on its way from Louisiana to Walt Disney World in
Orlando when the tragedy occurred. Another eight people suffered injuries in
the collision, which illustrates the catastrophic
consequences of accidents involving passenger vehicles and semi-trucks.

Church Van on its Way to Disney
World Before Crash

The church van from Avoyelles
House of Mercy in Marksville, Louisiana, was only hours from its destination
when the collision occurred at around 3:40 p.m. Investigators are looking into
what caused the accident, but Florida Highway Patrol said that the accident was
triggered by a northbound collision involving a big rig veering into a
passenger car. The two vehicles then smashed through the guardrail and collided
with the southbound church van and another semi-truck, which was also traveling
south.

Witnesses Describe Florida
Truck Crash Scene

Vinnie DeVita was driving south
only slightly ahead of the crash. He told reporters he looked in his rearview
mirror and saw the accident directly behind him.

"If I had
stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in
that accident," DeVita said. "And then within probably 15 to 20
seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames."

Investigators Treated Deaths in
I-75 Crash as Potential Homicides

Initial reports indicated
investigators were treating the crash as a possible homicide investigation,
although they did not state why that was the case.

A report from KALB News indicates
that the truck driver involved in the initial northbound crash, Steve Holland,
received multiple tickets between 2000 and 2014 in numerous states for a
variety of violations. Those violations included speeding, driving an
overloaded vehicle, and driving an unsafe vehicle.

I can imagine that working crash scenes like the one in Gainesville, FL that killed seven must be heart-wrenching. Not sure I could get over that. Five of those killed were children. Just awful. https://t.co/Jz7spv4rVr

At
a news conference the morning after the crash,
Troy Roberts from Florida's transportation department said investigators would
look into all aspects of the crash, including whether the road or the guardrail
played any role. When asked whether the guardrail had an engineering defect
that allowed the tractor-trailer and car to smash through it, Roberts said that
guardrails are not designed to prevent all accidents and the force of the crash
may have been too much for the rails.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) typically
investigates crashes such as this one; however, due to the government shutdown,
NTSB investigators are not currently assisting with the investigation. As a
result, the highway patrol will investigate the crash, although the
investigation could take months.

United Pentecostal Church
Releases a Statement Following Church Van Crash

The United Pentecostal Church
released a statement noting that there were nine children and three adults,
including a pregnant woman, on the bus. The church's initial statement
indicated that the pregnant woman gave birth shortly after the crash and the
baby and mother reportedly both survived, but the church later corrected its
message to note that the baby was not delivered but the pregnancy had been
stabilized. The
church notes that the four children who suffered injuries were expected to
recover.

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